For the first advent of our Lord in the flesh,
when he was born in Bethlehem,
which happened eight days before the kalends
of January [December 25th],
on the 4th day of the week [Wednesday],
while Augustus was reigning
in his forty-second year,
but from Adam five thousand
and five hundred years.
He suffered in the thirty third year,
8 days before the kalends of April [March 25th],
the Day of Preparation
the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesaer

This evidence from Hippolytus of Rome shows that by the end of the 2nd century, the same era as Clement of Alexandria, Christians in Europe as well as Africa recognized December 25th as the date of Christ’s birth.

The fact that December 25th had been established for Christ’s birth by the end of the 2nd century is important for refuting claims made by modern pagans and others about Yule and Sol Invictus which we will cover in future articles.

We should fear and love God so that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

Have I neglected the reading of the Bible thinking that hearing it on Sunday is enough? Do I let other daily activities take precedence over prayer and meditation on God’s Word? Have I kept every day holy with the reading and meditation upon God’s Word?

Has the hearing and reading of God’s Word become boring and meaningless to me? Have I despised the preaching of His Word by not coming to church as regularly as I should?

Have I let my mind wander when I am at church and become distracted by my thoughts?

Do I despise the reception of Holy Communion by not coming to receive it or by receiving it with no thought of the great price Jesus paid for my sin on the cross?

Have I been an unfaithful witness to others in our congregation by my absence from or inattention in the Divine Service?

Have I gone to church only out of habit, or because I was forced? Do I get bored with the sermon, the holy liturgy, or the celebration of the sacrament, when I should know that the Lord Jesus is present and wants to speak to me through them?

Did I also reflect on the service and the sermon after it was over, or did I forget it all as soon as it was over?

Does my attendance to the Divine Service suffer because of my other weekend activities? Do I needlessly despise worship services that are offered during the week, not taking the opportunity to pray publicly with other members?

Am I ready to learn from the sermon and make progress in Christianity?

Have I destroyed the blessing of the Divine Service for myself and others with frivolous criticism?

Have I stopped to consider that God will one day ask me what I have done with my Sundays and whether I have taken His Word and His Divine Service seriously?

Have I observed the “penitential seasons” of the church year (Advent, Lent, Holy Week, days of humility and prayer) with requisite seriousness?

If the Book of Concord has ceased being an accurate description of doctrine and practice in a given congregation, either the pastor of that congregation should preach and teach in order to bring the congregation back into communion with those confessions, or pastor and parish should both openly renounce the Lutheran confessions and leave our fellowship. Integrity demands it. It is openly hypocritical to stand before the holy altar and pledge fealty to confessions that one feels he is free to ignore.

Click here to listen to this sermon.“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me. And you will also bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning” (John 15:26-27).Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!Oh, to be […]

Click here to listen to this sermon.[Jesus said:] Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one” (John 17:11b).Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!“The Bucket List,” tells the story of two men who have little in common except the room they share while they await treatme […]